National

Chennai; Dec.2: Rain-ravaged Chennai was today crawling with air and road traffic severely hit as Army, Navy and NDRF teams stepped up rescue operations in worst-hit localities of the city that is also witnessing power outages.

The non-stop torrential rains pounding the city since last night showed some let up in the morning but the inundated streets left commuters stranded.

In view of the water logging, Chennai Airport authorities have shut operations till 6 AM tomorrow. All airlines, including Air India, have cancelled their operations from Chennai airport.

The death toll in Tamil Nadu in the rain related incidents has risen to 188 since October. Many low lying areas in Chennai have been water logged.

The Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rainfall for the 72 hours across Tamil Nadu.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said more forces will be deployed to tackle the situation.